Meet the latest summer menace - an inflatable, quick set pool.
Depending on their size, inflatable pools like the one pictured above retail for somewhere between $150 and $300. They offer a great, inexpensive way for kids to cool off during the summer. They are however also not without controversy.
In Massena, New York, the village code requires that any pool holding 24 inches of water or more needs a permit. The code also requires that the pool must be surrounded by a 4 foot high locked fence or barrier and be equipped with an audible alarm that sounds should someone fall in.
Local officials point out that nationwide almost 200 children drown or are injured in swimming pools (of all types) each year. The Massena Code Enforcement Officer says that the quick-set blue pools represent "a silent menace" to the community because they are frequently erected with no concern about code requirements.
Later today, we'll discuss whether municipalities seriously need to crack down on these temporary backyard pools? It shouldn't be too difficult to guess which side of the issue that I'm going to come down on.
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